The Enigma That is Jade West
by Shelbo
Summary: Jade West isn't eating, and it's up to her best friend Cat Valentine to get her healthy physically and mentally. Little does Jade know, Cat harbors a deep infatuation with the other girl.
1. Chapter 1

The Smiths' jangly guitar sound blared from a black '78 Camaro that drifted unto Caterina Valentine's street that night. A smile crept across the petite redhead's countenance. She had no doubt in her ditzy mind who her visitor was, so she dashed to the bathroom that adjoined her and her brother's bedrooms. She looked into the mirror, making damn sure her appearance was kept up. The doorbell began to ring frantically and repeatedly as she ran down the stairs to open the door.

A slim, pale girl with raven hair and heavy eyeliner around her deep green eyes stared back at her. "Can I come in, Cat?" her low voice trembled.

"Of course, you can," Cat replied. She led the girl into the house by her arm. _Funny_, she thought. _Jade's arm seems slightly more bony. I sure hope she's okay_. "So what's up?"

Jade shrugged, moving some of the blue streaks in her hair back. "I was too tired of listening to Depeche Mode alone in my basement. I couldn't call Beck since we've been broken up a year, and Andre's gone to DJ at a party, and then Tori is….ick….so that leaves you."

Cat cocked her head. "There's gotta be more than that. You have been absent from classes for like a week, Jadey." Cat had sat all by herself in Sikowitz's class all five days.

Jade reclined on the lovely lavender couch Mrs. Valentine had purchased recently, getting the dirt from her Doc Martens all over the pillows. "Oops," she said when she noticed. "Do you think Mrs. Tina will notice?"

"She's too busy with Frankie to bother, probably. But forget my mom. You're completely un-Jade-ish tonight," Cat said.

Jade finally broke. Tears streamed down the sides of her nose, collecting onto her spindly legs. _God_, thought Cat. _Jade looks REALLY skinny these days, and she's always been so curvy and gorgeous and…oh noes, she can't find out I **like her-like** her_.

Jade began to pull off her shirt slowly while sobbing. Cat often dreamt of Jade unclothed, but this wasn't what she thought she'd see underneath. "Look at me," Jade barked harshly. "Look how fat and disgusting I am!" The irony was how emaciated she was. Every little rib in her pale body was prominent, her clavicle exposed, sternum visible, and hips jutting out more than Cat would've liked.

Cat stepped back while gasping dramatically. Jade bit her lip and said quietly, "Yeah, it's so gross isn't it? Why do I even eat?"

"JADEY! You're sick! Look at you! I can see every damn bone in you!" Cat grabbed her mouth. "Oh noes, I swore! I never swear. I hate it."

Jade shook her head with a pathetic chuckle. "It's fine, Cat. 'Damn,' I mean 'the D word' isn't so bad. Plus you're talking to Madame F-bomb here," she said.

Cat replied, "That's not the point. The point is obviously you're not eating, and somehow, I didn't even know. Those baggy sweatshirts you've been wearing have hidden you. I don't think Andre, Tori, Beck, or Robbie even know how sick you are!"

Jade barked, "I'm NOT sick! I'm fine….just fine."

"If you were fine, why are you on my couch crying your eyeballs out?!" Cat yelled. Jade was floored. She had **NEVER** witnessed Cat raise her voice like this before. "No, Jade! It's **NOT** fine," Cat continued. "And you better park your Cam in our garage, cuz you're not leaving."

"What?"

"That's right," Cat sniffed. "Until you get better, you're staying here, Jade West."

"What about our parents?" Jade asked, panicking. She loved Cat and hanging out with her was always fun, but she was terrified of what staying with Cat as a form of this recovery nonsense her own parents constantly brought up would entail. She was sure Cat would go overboard on cupcakes like every other sleepover they'd had and force-feed her. Then Jade would turn fatfatfat with pillowy thighs and multiple chins. Even worse, Cat might even take her to see Cat's Italian grandma in Venice Beach, Nona, who would always insist that the two girls were like Holocaust victims.

"Well, my mom and dad are barely here, as you know, plus they don't really care. The only issue is Greg and Georgina West. So I suggest you call them," Cat said with her arms crossed.

Jade sighed and rolled her eyes. She picked up her PearPhone and dialed her mom's cell. "Hey, Mom, this is Jade. Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, Cat asked if I could spend a week over at her place if that's cool. Yeah, you know Caterina Valentine, the redhead girl who goes to school with me. I swear you've met her before, Mom. SHIT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU AND GREG ARE GOING TO ENGLAND FOR A MONTH WITHOUT ME! I DON'T CARE IF HE'S MY DAD, I'M GONNA CALL THAT PRICK GREG. YEAH, SURE I'M 18, BUT YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME BY MYSELF! Wait….YOU WANT ME TO STAY WITH CAT FOR A MONTH? That's crazy, Mom! But I guess I'll just deal with it since you two fucking suck." She tapped the hang up button on the phone with a huff.

Cat flinched after having heard all the filthy words Jade had said to her mother. "Jade," she whined. "You can't talk to your parents that way, no matter how much you hurt or how bad they are."

"Whatever. Hey, if I'm staying here, I need to get a change of clothes from home."

"Get in my car, Jade. I'm driving and not letting you outta my sight," Cat said.

"I sure hope Morticia or Gomez aren't home when we swing by," Jade grumbled.

"Oh! I hope they are. I love _The Addams Family_!" Cat squealed. When Jade glared at her, she thought about the statement more closely. "Oh! I see what you did there."

It was gonna be a long month.

Little did the girls know, recovery from anorexia would take longer than that.


	2. Chapter 2

Jade West woke up, not remembering where the hell she was. After some thrashing around in her blankets and panting, she finally realized she was in Cat's guest room. It was a lush mauve room, decorated with all the nice things Mrs. Valentine bought from Pottery Barn. It wasn't Jade's cup of tea, but middle age women do what they do.

"JAAAADEYYYY!" Cat called sweetly across the hallway. Curious, Jade walked out to meet her. While Cat was wearing a Tweetie Bird onesie, Jade wore a black tank top and yoga pants, her standard sleeping wear. "I need to weigh you."

"WHAT?" Jade retorted.

"Relax," Cat soothed her. "I promise it won't be bad. Look at me, look at me."

Cat lead her pale friend into the upstairs bathroom. Cat's older brother, Frankie, who was a basket case, had left his smelly underwear all over, but the two girls tried to disregard that. "On the scale, now." Cat isn't gonna mess around about this, Jade realized.

Jade stepped right on to the scale. She bit her lip in fear as the scale calculated, then it finally started to blink. 101 lb. Jade sighed with relief. "I've lost another pound, thank God."

"Don't do that!" Cat cried. "You're 5'8, and 101 lbs is too low for you! Way too low. Come on, I'm gonna make you some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry…" Jade mumbled.

"If you don't eat something, you won't be able to leave this house today. Simple," Cat said.

Cat was finally able to get Jade to get some low-fat oatmeal into her. Cat continued to observe her at the kitchen table. Cat was nobody's fool; she took Health class in the 10th grade, so she remember hearing about eating disorders. She knew it wasn't about the food, it was the emotions attached to it. She cleared her throat.

"So, when did you stop eating?" Cat inquired.

"After Beck and I called it quits."

"Why?"

"When he left, I didn't feel like eating again. I felt empty. I guess I wanted to look as empty as I felt."

"I think we needa go see Lane on Monday. You need some professional help as well."

Jade literally jumped out of her chair. "HELL NO!" She said. "He'll tell Greg and Mom. Remember when that rumor about Tori being gay went around HA, and he called her rents? No way."

Cat bit her lip. Truth was, that was no rumor; Tori had been messing around with Cat in the janitor's closet for some time when some freshman walked in on them and recognized Tori only. Because of this, Cat was able to keep a decent reputation. The two girls hadn't spoke since the Gay!Tori rumor had spread through the halls, and Cat suspected that maybe Tori blamed her.

Jade had been there for Cat for almost everything, but not that. Cat didn't want Jade to know her true sexuality, in fear it would scare her off. She HAD to have Jade. But she needed to make sure there was a Jade to have, which is why that bowl of oatmeal was there before her.

* * *

**Shelby: Guys, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I'm surprised to see how many favorites/reviews I've gotten in just one day. I hope to have another hit like with my Fallout fic, _Where Have You Been All My Life? _(If you're into post-apocalyptic junk, give it a lookyloo). Anyway, thanks for reading! :D**


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